Our history
From Windsor's Main Street to wholesale supply across Central Newfoundland.
Brown Derby's roots reach back to the 1940s, but the Connors family's story in Grand Falls-Windsor began decades earlier. Today, Brown Derby Wholesale carries on that connection to local businesses.
The Connors family and Windsor's railway beginnings
In an oral-history interview preserved by Heritage NL, John Connors recalled how his grandfather P. J. Connors came to the area in 1905 to work for the Reid Newfoundland Railway and helped establish the station serving the growing community.
John's father, Gerald Connors, later operated taxi and trucking businesses and the Crystal Springs beverage business before turning his attention to a restaurant on Windsor's Main Street.
1943–1961
How the Brown Derby restaurant became a wholesaler
1943–1944: A restaurant on Main Street
In 1943, Gerald Connors set out to establish a restaurant inspired by a Brown Derby restaurant he had seen while travelling in New York. The Brown Derby opened in 1944. In November that year, a major fire destroyed much of Windsor's Main Street, including the restaurant. It was rebuilt afterward.
From buying in bulk to supplying neighbouring stores
The restaurant brought in products such as chocolate bars and chewing gum from outside Newfoundland. John Connors explained that these goods arrived in quantities larger than one restaurant could use. Supplying nearby family-owned stores in Windsor, Grand Falls and Bishop's Falls became a natural next step.
1961: Brown Derby Wholesale
Heritage NL's history records that Gerald Connors and business partner R. D. Stroud operated the restaurant until 1961, when they switched to wholesale. The business moved from Main Street to Hardy Avenue in the 1980s.
These details are documented in the Heritage NL and Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society oral-history exhibit, which includes recollections from John Connors and archival photographs of the original Brown Derby.
Brown Derby today
Wholesale supply with a local connection
From 22 Hardy Avenue in Grand Falls-Windsor, Brown Derby Wholesale continues serving business customers in Central Newfoundland. Our catalog includes food and grocery, beverages, confectionery, packaging, and cleaning supplies.
Explore our wholesale catalog or contact the team to learn more about ordering for your business.